About Our Parish
In 1934, our first church, a wooden building, was erected on the site of where up to recently stood the Dominican Convent. It was the building next to the school.
Father Desmond Coffey
The first Parish Priest, in 1934, was Father Desmond Coffey
and he remained at St. Augustine’s until his death in 1977. He was, by
all accounts, quite a character and many stories are told about him.
He was born in Colomb Street, Greenwich in 1895, the son of Timothy
Coffey, a journalist and Margaret Bancroft. He was ordained in 1920.
Reading a parish appreciation to him the author said “Father Coffey’s
strong personality and powerful voice did produce, for the stranger, a
sense of awe, but he was a great priest — a legend, stuff that novels
are written about and he will be remembered for the holiness of life.
He was an inspiration to us all”. Fr Desmond will be remembered for his
tireless efforts to build a brand new church to replace the wooden
building and his dream was realised in 1964 when our present church was consecrated on Wednesday 26th August 1964.
The following Saturday there was a celebration Dinner and Dance at
Bromley Court Hotel with dancing to Peter Regan’s Quartet and Mr PSE
Hooper was MC at the dinner. Staying with the social side, Fr Coffey’s
Golden Jubilee (1970) celebrations concluded with a function at Langley
Rooms SE6 on 14th November with Dick Taylor and his band. MC’s at the
function were R Stone and D P Keefe.
St. Augustine’s has had six Parish Priests to date:
Assistant priests down the years include (1986-1993) Fr Deaney, Fr Delaney, Fr Muiheam, Fr Walsh (no relation to Father Walter Walsh – above), Fr Martin Murphy, Fr Terence Quinlan, Fr Joe Sheridan and Fr Tom Houlihan.
Welcome address from the vice chairman of the parish pastoral council: Roger Cofie at the Parish Golden Jubilee Closing Mass on the 31st August 2014
This year, 2014 is our parish’s 50th anniversary and since the start of the year, we’ve marked this special occasion with various activities within our parish community. Some of these activities are: Inaugural Mass of the Parish 50th Anniversary Celebration, Mothers’ Day Celebration, Lecture: “The Year of Jubilee”, Divine Mercy Day Prayers and Devotion for the Parish, Parish Retreat, Corpus Christi Procession, 50th Hours Adoration and Parish Jubilee Sport Competition. Today we are gathered to celebrate the closing mass of our Jubilee, though the Parish jubilee celebration reminds, in our hearts ever.
As we gather to celebrate this one in life time occasion, we as a parish thank you all for coming. However, our celebrations come to a close today, but not until we’ve left everyone present with fond memories by ensuring we have a good time throughout today. One great thing that we are known for in our parish is our great hospitality.
So at this point, and on behalf of our dynamic parish priest: Rev Fr Mark Odion, MSP and all the great and good people of The Annunciation and St Augustine’s Parish, may I extend a very warm welcome to our Principal celebrant and chief host of today’s celebration: Archbishop Peter Smith, the Superior General of the Missionary Society of St Paul: Very Rev Fr Victor, MSP, all the priests who present and concelebrating at this Mass, all the deacons, Our honourable MP, Jim Dowd, our Honourable Councillors Ami Ibitson, Alan Hall and Jacq Paschoud, the members of phoenix housing association: Pat Fordham and her team, the representatives from our Parish school, All our invited guests and fellow parishioners. We ask that you pray for 50 more fantastic years at St Augustine’s.
At this mass, our Parish main choir and our parish East African choir will be joining gather to lead us in the singing.
To add more flavour to proceedings, we’ve combined today’s jubilee event with our annual International Day and as such, there’d be the usual follow-up social events on the parish grounds after mass and EVERYONE IS WELCOME.
I plead with all parents and guardians to please keep a close eye on the little children, especially while the mass is in progress.
Finally, please take a few seconds NOW to put your mobile phones on mute or better still switch it off altogether. Feel free to approach any of the ushers or the members of the Knight of St Columba at the back of the church if you require assistance of any kind.
Thank you and have a prayerful celebration of the Mass and all the activities afterwards.
- Fr Desmond Coffey (1934-1977) who lies buried beneath the walls of the Church
- Fr Donal Burke (1977-1986)
- Fr Walter Walsh (1986-1993)
- Fr Michael Gibbons (1993-2003)
- Fr Tomas Creagh-Fuller (2004 to Jan 2009)
- Fr Mark Ehis Odion, MSP (Jan 2009 to Aug 2015)
- Our current Parish Priest Father Sam Ofia, MSP (Aug 2015 to date).
Assistant priests down the years include (1986-1993) Fr Deaney, Fr Delaney, Fr Muiheam, Fr Walsh (no relation to Father Walter Walsh – above), Fr Martin Murphy, Fr Terence Quinlan, Fr Joe Sheridan and Fr Tom Houlihan.
Welcome address from the vice chairman of the parish pastoral council: Roger Cofie at the Parish Golden Jubilee Closing Mass on the 31st August 2014
This year, 2014 is our parish’s 50th anniversary and since the start of the year, we’ve marked this special occasion with various activities within our parish community. Some of these activities are: Inaugural Mass of the Parish 50th Anniversary Celebration, Mothers’ Day Celebration, Lecture: “The Year of Jubilee”, Divine Mercy Day Prayers and Devotion for the Parish, Parish Retreat, Corpus Christi Procession, 50th Hours Adoration and Parish Jubilee Sport Competition. Today we are gathered to celebrate the closing mass of our Jubilee, though the Parish jubilee celebration reminds, in our hearts ever.
As we gather to celebrate this one in life time occasion, we as a parish thank you all for coming. However, our celebrations come to a close today, but not until we’ve left everyone present with fond memories by ensuring we have a good time throughout today. One great thing that we are known for in our parish is our great hospitality.
So at this point, and on behalf of our dynamic parish priest: Rev Fr Mark Odion, MSP and all the great and good people of The Annunciation and St Augustine’s Parish, may I extend a very warm welcome to our Principal celebrant and chief host of today’s celebration: Archbishop Peter Smith, the Superior General of the Missionary Society of St Paul: Very Rev Fr Victor, MSP, all the priests who present and concelebrating at this Mass, all the deacons, Our honourable MP, Jim Dowd, our Honourable Councillors Ami Ibitson, Alan Hall and Jacq Paschoud, the members of phoenix housing association: Pat Fordham and her team, the representatives from our Parish school, All our invited guests and fellow parishioners. We ask that you pray for 50 more fantastic years at St Augustine’s.
At this mass, our Parish main choir and our parish East African choir will be joining gather to lead us in the singing.
To add more flavour to proceedings, we’ve combined today’s jubilee event with our annual International Day and as such, there’d be the usual follow-up social events on the parish grounds after mass and EVERYONE IS WELCOME.
I plead with all parents and guardians to please keep a close eye on the little children, especially while the mass is in progress.
Finally, please take a few seconds NOW to put your mobile phones on mute or better still switch it off altogether. Feel free to approach any of the ushers or the members of the Knight of St Columba at the back of the church if you require assistance of any kind.
Thank you and have a prayerful celebration of the Mass and all the activities afterwards.